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C of I produces musical comedy 'Spelling Bee’

Tue, Feb 28, 2012

The College of Idaho theatre and music departments invite Treasure Valley patrons to enjoy a night of interactive musical comedy as they present their spring production, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. The play opens March 8 and features nightly 7:30 p.m. showings March 8-10 and 15-17, with 2 p.m. matinees on March 11 and March 17. All showings take place inside the Langroise Recital Hall on the C of I campus in Caldwell, and tickets cost $15 for adults or $10 for seniors and students. For tickets and information, call (208) 459-5426 or visit www.collegeofidaho.edu/theatre.

Spelling Bee is an award-winning one-act musical comedy written by Rachel Sheinkin, with music and lyrics by William Fin. The show takes place as six school-aged characters compete in a spelling bee at fictional Putnam Valley Middle School. Four audience members will join the actors on stage during each show to interact with the characters and participate in the bee.

“I’m really excited about the interactive elements of this show, from the pre-show lobby to the audience participation to the Caldwell and C of I references we’ve added to the script,” said guest director Julia Bennett, of Studio Jul in Boise. “The audience members are going to be part of the environment of the bee as well as co-creators of the entire production.”

C of I sophomore Jordan Bowman stars as Olive Ostrovsky, one of the nerdy, quirky kids competing in the bee. She and her cast-mates look forward to giving audiences energetic, diverse performances – no two of which will be exactly the same.

“I think what I enjoy most about this show is being so active on stage,” said Bowman, a musical performance major from American Falls. “The singing and dancing, character interaction and audience participation make it a very lively show, and it’s going to be a different show every night.”

Spelling Bee stars an ensemble cast of C of I students with musical direction by Scott King, choreography by Leah Clark, scenic design by C of I theatre professor Michael Hartwell, costume design by Megan Richardson and lighting design by Deborah Penrod.

Founded in 1891, The College of Idaho is the state’s oldest private liberal arts college. It has a century-old tradition of educating some of the most accomplished graduates in Idaho, including six Rhodes Scholars, three Marshall Scholars, and another ten Truman and Goldwater Scholars. The College is located on a beautiful campus in Caldwell, Idaho. Its distinctive PEAK curriculum challenges students to attain competencies in the four knowledge peaks of the humanities, natural sciences, social sciences and a professional field, enabling them to graduate with an academic major and three minors in four years. For more information on The College of Idaho, visit www.collegeofidaho.edu.